Sex education is intended to inform us on matters relevant to nearly all stages of our lives that we may not learn about elsewhere, as certain topics are avoided by parents and are not typically talked about on the internet. School should be a place where questions about difficult or uncomfortable topics can be answered in an educational manner to prevent misinformation and unsafe decisions. However, our school’s sex education unit in biology class merely grazes basic information such as reproduction that many students are already aware of, and must be taught with more thorough and relevant subunits.
Although some may argue that teenagers are not at the appropriate age to be taught sex education, it is inevitable that some students will be sexually active. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior survey in 2021 states that “nearly 1/3 of students had ever had sex and more than 20% were currently sexually active.” According to “Abstinence-Only Education and Teen Pregnancy Rates: Why We Need Comprehensive Sex Education in the U.S” by the National Library of Medicine, “the national data show that the incidence of teenage pregnancies and births remain positively correlated with the degree of abstinence education across states.” In essence, the more abstinence education is emphasized while sex is shunned, the higher the incidences of teen pregnancies tend to be. Being uneducated on these matters does not prevent pregnancy or sexual activity, but instead promotes unsafe sex and may lead to unplanned pregnancies.
Some students may not know where or how to access contraceptives, and educators must provide them with information on how to do so. Because it can be considered taboo to talk about sex as teenagers, we should normalize asking questions in and out of the classroom to allow teens to comfortably reach out for help and know who to ask. Emergencies such as accidental pregnancy or contracting an infection can be terrifying and even isolating. Therefore, knowing how to access the proper resources keeps individuals safe.
Furthermore, most types of contraception can be used for more than practicing safe sex. Some female students who suffer from painful or irregular periods may be unaware of the many variations of contraception available, including hormonal pills, barrier methods, and birth control shots. According to the article “Can Birth Control Help With Cramps?” by Kids Health, “birth control works because it decreases the amount of prostaglandins — chemicals your body produces to make the muscles of the uterus contract. With fewer contractions, there is less pain. Birth control pills also can decrease the amount of blood flow with your period.” This is another crucial yet neglected aspect of sex education that, if taught, can help many struggling female students. Some may claim that educating students on contraceptives will essentially promote sexual activity, but this is false as some women use birth control for reasons unrelated to sex.
Ultimately, the sex education unit taught during freshman year at our school lacks the depth necessary to educate students on significant topics. To improve this system, the unit must include more essential topics, such as contraception and menstruation.